Why Do Hellfire R9X Missiles Have Blades?

The United States military has a variety of unbelievably high-tech military weapons in its arsenal, but none of its armaments has been more controversial in the 21st century than the Hellfire missile. These are the missiles fired by U.S. military drones, used in the Global War on Terrorism, so they're fairly well known. What isn't as understood by the public are the missiles' variants, one of which has gotten a lot of attention in recent years.

The Hellfire R9X, commonly known as the "Knife Bomb," has a lot in common with other Hellfire missiles, but its bladed design sets it apart. It was developed during the Obama administration for the express purpose of reducing collateral damage. That's long been the policy of the U.S., and limiting unnecessary death and destruction is always the goal. 

A standard AGM-114 Hellfire missile comes equipped with different configurations of explosives that deal a great amount of damage. These can destroy buildings and vehicles, causing collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure. The R9X is different because it was engineered without an explosive warhead of any kind. Instead of detonating upon impact, an R9X flies toward its target, and just before hitting, it pops out six long blades. The missile's kinetic energy and blades tear through the target, so the R9X is well-named as the "Ninja" or "Knife Bomb," as it makes very little noise and eliminates a target without causing much other damage.

The Hellfire R9X is typically carried by hunter-killer drones that have changed warfare, like the MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper, so it can be fired anywhere in the world they operate. The missile is designed to ensure the least damage possible — the sniper round of military missiles. While an R9X can take out multiple targets, they're generally used to eliminate individual high-value targets. In 2022, the U.S. killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's successor as leader of al-Qaeda, with an R9X.

As reported by Le Monde, the destruction the missile left was minimal, with no traces of any explosion, and only al-Zawahiri was hit by the weapon. The U.S. hasn't verified the type of missile used, but it's clear from the damage that it wasn't a standard-issue AGM-114. At the time of the strike, former investigative journalist Jay Hancock posted information about the R9X on the platform X, saying it had been used.

It's believed that the U.S. has used Hellfire R9X missiles to take out other targets, too, though the nation isn't in the habit of confirming this sort of information. When senior al-Qaeda leader Abu Kheir Al-Masri was hit by a missile in 2017 while in a moving car in Syria, the hole in the roof that killed him without leaving damage elsewhere was proof that the R9X was involved. It's a minimally damaging yet deadly missile that shreds its target to pieces through sheer kinetic energy ... and six massive blades.